“The need in Tampa Bay for young people to have a role model is more urgent than ever,” said Stephen Koch, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. “To attract more volunteers of all generations, we needed a modernization of our brand to make an impact in the community and meet the need of the essential work of matching youth with mentors.”
Months of research, including focus groups with potential Bigs as well as current Bigs, Littles, donors, staff, and leadership, showed the former brand was not effectively connecting with younger, prospective mentors or conveying the urgent mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The organization is now intentionally pivoting from messages of the importance of mentoring, to messages of the urgent need for the adults in the community to step up to defend the potential of every child. The mission will remain the same, as will the core model of building bridges in communities by connecting one adult with one child and supporting that match at every stage. But the organization will focus on a child’s potential, and our role as adults in helping children achieve their best possible futures.
“In our community, we know that youth are facing numerous challenges. Our organization’s new brand is designed to help us ensure we can serve more children in Tampa Bay by recruiting more volunteers,” said Koch.
Learn more about the new brand positioning, the logo or messaging, or how to get involved at bbbs.org/bigpotential. Share the new look and follow updates on the Big Brothers Big Sister of Tampa Bay Facebook page as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Join the conversation using the hashtags #DefendingPotential and #BBBSTB.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is part of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer- supported mentoring network and holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs youth, or “Littles,” with screened volunteer mentors, or “Bigs,” and monitors these mentoring matches throughout their time in the program. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity – often of a single or low-income household or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military – with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.
In 2017, nearly 3,000 children were paired with mentors in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties. The agency was awarded the BBBS National Gold Standard Award this past summer. For more information, please visit www.bbbstampabay.org.